Hit by tornado, Emergi-Care clinic in Tuscaloosa being demolished after insurance settlement

Demolition crews work to raze the Emergi-Care building on 15th Street in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday. Emergi-Care was one of few remaining buildings in the area destroyed by the April 27, 2011, tornado.

Dusty Compton | The Tuscaloosa News

By Jason MortonStaff Writer

Published: Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 11:55 p.m.

It’s taken almost two and a half years, but a lingering symbol of the damage brought by the tornado of April 27, 2011, is now coming down.

Emergi-Care clinic on 15th Street is being demolished this week after a recent settlement between Dr. Phillip K. Bobo and the Hartford Insurance Co.

At issue, almost since the storm struck, was the amount Hartford was willing to pay Bobo for the damage and costs to repair the building, which was all but

destroyed by the deadly tornado.

Bobo, speaking by telephone from his temporary clinic on Skyland Boulevard, said he is thankful this stage of the process is nearly over.

“This has been embarrassing and upsetting to me to have my building stand like that. I know it’s been an eyesore,” he said. “This should not have taken more than two years.”

The fight to gain what he believed to be the true value of his building required Bobo to fight lawsuits on two fronts.

One was the case against the

insurance company itself, aspects of which remain ongoing, according to legal documents.

The building provision, however, was resolved Aug. 14 when separate appraisers representing Bobo and Hartford reached a settlement of $1.85 million for the value of the damaged 15th Street structure.

This led to the resolution of a separate lawsuit Bobo was involved in with the city of Tuscaloosa after the City Council voted in April 2012 to declare the wreckage a public nuisance and ordered it demolished.

Ronald W. Davis, Bobo’s attorney, filed a stay in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court to prevent the demolition, citing it as evidence in the pending case with Hartford, court records said.

On Aug. 19, Davis and City Attorney Tim Nunnally filed a joint motion to have the stay lifted on the building’s demolition.

Circuit Court Judge Chuck Malone granted this motion four days later.

“My beef has never been with the city of Tuscaloosa. It’s always been with the Hartford Insurance Co.,” Bobo said, adding that city officials were instrumental in helping him open his temporary location in the former Bama Urgent Medicine across from Memory Hill Gardens within a month of the storm.

Robin Edgeworth, director of the city’s Recovery Operations, was a key proponent of removing the structure.

With the resolution of the demolition side of this suit, Edgeworth said she was pleased to see its removal but said the devastated areas and residents of the city still have hurdles to overcome.

“While this structure continued to be a visible sign of work remaining to be done, there are so many in our community that are still struggling with the loss of family and property, and the city continues to seek funding and to utilize funding in a way that will facilitate the recovery,” Edgeworth said. “This is a day that the neighbors can celebrate and we will certainly celebrate with them, but we know that our recovery is still ongoing but this is one step closer to our goal.”

Bobo said he hopes to return to the 15th Street site where he operated for almost 30 years once the other pending issues of the suit, including the value of the building’s contents, are resolved.

But that could be months — if not more years — away. Once the suit involving Hartford is finalized, Bobo estimates it will take at least a year to complete a new facility.

“I’d have loved to have this thing settled and be in a new building on 15th Street,” Bobo said. “It’s accessible from just about anywhere and it’s a good central location.

<p>It's taken almost two and a half years, but a lingering symbol of the damage brought by the tornado of April 27, 2011, is now coming down.</p><p>Emergi-Care clinic on 15th Street is being demolished this week after a recent settlement between Dr. Phillip K. Bobo and the Hartford Insurance Co.</p><p>At issue, almost since the storm struck, was the amount Hartford was willing to pay Bobo for the damage and costs to repair the building, which was all but </p><p>destroyed by the deadly tornado.</p><p>Bobo, speaking by telephone from his temporary clinic on Skyland Boulevard, said he is thankful this stage of the process is nearly over.</p><p>“This has been embarrassing and upsetting to me to have my building stand like that. I know it's been an eyesore,” he said. “This should not have taken more than two years.”</p><p>The fight to gain what he believed to be the true value of his building required Bobo to fight lawsuits on two fronts.</p><p>One was the case against the </p><p>insurance company itself, aspects of which remain ongoing, according to legal documents.</p><p>The building provision, however, was resolved Aug. 14 when separate appraisers representing Bobo and Hartford reached a settlement of $1.85 million for the value of the damaged 15th Street structure.</p><p>This led to the resolution of a separate lawsuit Bobo was involved in with the city of Tuscaloosa after the City Council voted in April 2012 to declare the wreckage a public nuisance and ordered it demolished.</p><p>Ronald W. Davis, Bobo's attorney, filed a stay in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court to prevent the demolition, citing it as evidence in the pending case with Hartford, court records said.</p><p>On Aug. 19, Davis and City Attorney Tim Nunnally filed a joint motion to have the stay lifted on the building's demolition.</p><p>Circuit Court Judge Chuck Malone granted this motion four days later.</p><p>“My beef has never been with the city of Tuscaloosa. It's always been with the Hartford Insurance Co.,” Bobo said, adding that city officials were instrumental in helping him open his temporary location in the former Bama Urgent Medicine across from Memory Hill Gardens within a month of the storm.</p><p>Robin Edgeworth, director of the city's Recovery Operations, was a key proponent of removing the structure.</p><p>With the resolution of the demolition side of this suit, Edgeworth said she was pleased to see its removal but said the devastated areas and residents of the city still have hurdles to overcome.</p><p>“While this structure continued to be a visible sign of work remaining to be done, there are so many in our community that are still struggling with the loss of family and property, and the city continues to seek funding and to utilize funding in a way that will facilitate the recovery,” Edgeworth said. “This is a day that the neighbors can celebrate and we will certainly celebrate with them, but we know that our recovery is still ongoing but this is one step closer to our goal.”</p><p>Bobo said he hopes to return to the 15th Street site where he operated for almost 30 years once the other pending issues of the suit, including the value of the building's contents, are resolved.</p><p>But that could be months — if not more years — away. Once the suit involving Hartford is finalized, Bobo estimates it will take at least a year to complete a new facility.</p><p>“I'd have loved to have this thing settled and be in a new building on 15th Street,” Bobo said. “It's accessible from just about anywhere and it's a good central location.</p><p>“That's where I want to be.”</p><p>Reach Jason Morton at jason.morton@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0200.</p>